Juventus to Appeal Demotion

Italian football club Juventus has announced it will go to civil court to appeal its loss of last season's Serie-A title, demotion to Serie-B and 17-point penalty for match-fixing.

The move could delay the beginning of the season, which is set to begin September ninth.

The punishment was originally handed out by the Italian football federation. Juventus appealed to the Italian Olympic Committee for a lighter sentence but was turned down. The Turin-based team will now take its case to the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio, which has the authority to overturn rulings made by sports federation bodies.

In a statement, Juventus said the sanctions against the team were "disproportionate." The team was unhappy that four other clubs also found guilty of match-fixing - AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina - were all allowed to remain in Serie-A.